Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD. Psalm 112:6-7 NIV
When our children were small we did not have cable television which greatly limited out viewing options. Pam and I still like to listen to our local new stations. It’s very common for them to lead off their half hour segment with the latest accident, shooting or fire. With our kids, we nicknamed it “The Bad News Hour”.
Many are intrigued to hear of someone’s woes,but are paralyzed with fear and anxiety while thinking about having to endure their own potential oncoming calamity. How are we supposed to handle bad news?
Bad news is real and painful. We live in a fallen world in which accidents, sickness and death happen to people we know and to those far away. People are corrupt, They abuse power with manipulation guided by greed and inflict pain with brute force. We have an adversary, the devil, who guides us down dark paths of addictions and the consequences of poor choices.
How does the righteous person overcome having fear about bad news?
“Never be shaken” – The term means more than becoming unsettled. It also means to be thrown off course. How does he remain on course? He knows that God is watching over his life for the long haul.
A popular Chrisitan song has this phrase, “I will not be shaken, God knows my name.” It is never enough to say that I am tough enough to not be shaken. We move to the security of knowing that God remembers what we are going through. He is present and abiding moment by moment with His children.
“Their hearts are steadfast” – The root for steadfast means to stand up straight or perpendicular. When everything appears to be fading or wilting, the steadfast are standing up strong exuding power and strength.
Where does this strength come from when others are crumbling? “Trust in the Lord”.
- To trust in the Lord creates a firm foundation that remains calm even in the storm.
- To trust in the Lord is to maintain a connectedness to His reassuring voice that calms our nerves.
- To trust in the Lord is to relinquish the expectation for the answers to why, and to capture the view of Jesus who is interceding right now on your behalf.
- To trust in the Lord is to remember that we cry and are broken, but He keeps all of our tears in a bottle of remembrance.
- To trust in the Lord acknowledges the pain of losing a loved one, but His presence abides with us in the valley of the shadow of death.
- To trust in the Lord doesn’t mean we never feel pain or act like it doesn’t hurt, we just allow Him to apply His balm of peace to our lives
On this Fear Not Friday, may God breathe new life into your spirit so that you stand up strong and remain steadfast in the presence of bad news. May your heart receive the warmth necessary to resist coldness from pain and stay enveloped in His abiding love.
May you live in the revelation that God is always bigger than any bad news. He is never surprised when it comes and He is not conflicted about way to do next. He is God of our before and our after. Trust in the Lord.
Blessings Love y’all